


For the Good of the Realm

by Isola_Caramella



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:55:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11830116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isola_Caramella/pseuds/Isola_Caramella
Summary: A Northern Wedding Night





	For the Good of the Realm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [openmouthwideeye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/openmouthwideeye/gifts), [usefulspinster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/usefulspinster/gifts), [imagineagreatadventure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagineagreatadventure/gifts).



> Reporting for deck swabbing duties on the S.S. Brickon

Brienne stood in what would serve as her wedding night chamber; saved from the bedding ceremony by Jon Snow, a small kindness. Her duty was to the realm now, between Cersei and Daenerys, many of the great houses in the south had fallen. Evenfall remained because neither queen had men to spare to send an envoy to her father.

They were in the grips of winter and even the dragon queen had put aside her desire to conquer the throne until only the living remained. Cersei had promised to send soldiers when the wight had been shown in the dragon pit, only a single raven had arrived before Brienne could return to Winterfell, announcing Jaime as the queen’s consort. She had trained with the red wildling the day she was made aware, fearing she would hurt Pod, every feeling she would not, could not put name to went into her sword until she'd grappled him to the ground with all of her anger to force him to yield. It took two men to pull her off when he refused.

Lady Sansa tended to her that night, silently cleaning blood, not able to tell if it was hers or the wildling. When she woke the next morning from the deepest sleep she'd had since before Renly, she'd known Lady Arya had given her a sleeping draught. It resolved Brienne, Jaime was where he had wanted to be all along. Their time on the road to King’s Landing was his quest to get back to his sister, they had both now completed their quests.

The first joyous sounds Winterfell had heard since before the Starks left for King’s Landing so long ago rang out as the northern women push her lord husband through the door, divested of his wedding doublet, under tunic and breeches, standing before her in just his small clothes. He is flushed but not nearly as red as Brienne. She has to remind herself that there are two battles being fought now, the living against the dead and the realm silently against the dragon queen. Bend now to rise later her lord father had gently reminded her in his last raven. The lords of Westeros remembered Brandon and Rickard Stark, they remembered the Hand of King Aerys burning and now Lord Tarly had burned too, along with the bulk of his army and the Lannister Army at his daughter's cold command.

New alliances had to be made, even as they fought the Night King, whoever remained would be in opposition to being ruled by fire. Brienne's last memory of Jaime is his tale of King Aerys’s love of fire, his sacrifice of becoming the kingslayer for the good of the realm fading to white as the sharp pinch of losing her maidenhead dances up her back.

“Are you well my lady?” Her husband's strained voice rumbled in her ear making her stomach clench. “There's only a bit more, sorry.”

His idea of a bit more scarcely matching Brienne's as her hands clutched his shoulders as they clumsily consummated their part in the hopeful end of winter.


End file.
